The hexagonal wind tunnel

It could blow Dorothy back to Oz and produces gale-force gusts that would normally have you running for cover. But don’t worry — the Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment (or WindEEE) Dome is all about science, not scares. Opening on Oct. 17 at Western University in London, Ont., the building cost approximately $30 million. Unlike your run-of-the-mill single-direction wind tunnel blasts, it can simulate three-dimensional wind systems, including category F3 tornadoes — the strength of the twister that devastated Goderich, Ont., in August 2011. It will be used to test the strength of buildings and transmission lines. This graphic explains some of the dome’s key elements and how they work.